UK worker fails to turn up in court after attacking woman in Jersey

Sunday 14 January 2024

A man from the UK who attacked a woman while temporarily working in Jersey failed to appear in court for sentencing this week – claiming he could not afford the fare to the island.

Ieuan Hickey (30) had pleaded guilty to the offence and was released on bail. He was allowed to return to the UK provided that he come back to the Magistrate's Court on Friday, but did not turn up.

He was convicted of the additional charge of failing to surrender to court.

Crown Advocate Lauren Taylor, prosecuting, said that an off-duty police officer had witnessed the assault, on the evening of 30 November, in which Hickey put his hands on the woman’s neck or shoulders and pushed her against a gate. She fell to the ground injuring her knees. Photos screened in court showed the injuries.

Pictured: The case was heard in the Magistrate's Court on Friday.

Hickey had been in Jersey temporarily for work at the time of the incident and Advocate James Corbett, defending, said Hickey had written a letter of explanation.

He said: “He has no connection with Jersey except the work he had, and he has no money to actually get here.

“It is very rare for someone who fails to surrender to court to write a very polite letter to explain.”

He added: “By any reckoning this is not an ‘attack case’.

“It was not a sustained attack. It did not have to be broken up by anybody. It occurred as a result of recklessness.”

Assistant Magistrate Adam Clarke decided that Hickey could be sentenced in his absence. He  accepted that Hickey had no previous convictions and that the assault involved "a low level of force causing minor injury" so fined him £1,200 for the assault itself, granting him three months to pay it.

Hickey will only be arrested for failure to surrender to court if he sets foot in the island again.